Material Witness: Doris Salcedo's Practice as an Address on Political Violence through Materiality

262 Pages·2017·7.05 MB·English

Material Witness: Doris Salcedo's Practice as an
Address on Political Violence through Materiality
Citation
Schneider, Mary Emily. 2014. Material Witness: Doris Salcedo's Practice as an Address on
Political Violence through Materiality. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University.
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http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:11746516
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Material Witness:
Doris Salcedo’s Practice as an Address on Political Violence through Materiality

A dissertation presented
by
Mary Emily Schneider
to
The Department of the History of Art and Architecture

In partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
in the subject of
History of Art and Architecture

Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

January 2014
© 2014 Mary Emily Schneider
All rights reserved.
Dissertation Advisor: Thomas B. F. Cummins Mary Emily Schneider

Material Witness:
Doris Salcedo’s Practice as an Address on Political Violence through Materiality

Abstract
This dissertation investigates Doris Salcedo’s practice and the means by which she addresses
political violence relying on materials rather than figural images. She evokes the imminence of
violence, the presence of the absent victims, and the hidden wounds of the survivors. An
examination of her sculptures and installations begins by focusing on the socio-political context
and history of prolonged civil violence Salcedo has experienced during her life in Colombia.
Following this I analyze: the artist’s deliberate choice of sculpture as her medium; her
preference for everyday objects, such as domestic furniture and materials charged with meaning
but without reference to specific victims; her rigorous, highly involved process; and finally, her
emphasis on surface as an evocative element integral to the work. The ideas of Beatriz
Gonzalez, Joseph Beuys and Marcel Duchamp are considered to the extent to which they were
engaged in or contested by Salcedo in developing her practice. Finally, by analyzing a particular
body of Salcedo’s work, I propose a series of six visual strategies the artist employs to convey
through materials without pictorializing the enduring effects of political violence: 1) the
suggestion of space to place, 2) the sense of the uncanny and anthropomorphism, 3) the
materiality of the heavily worked surfaces of her sculptures, 4) the weight of time as a material
presence, 5) the correspondence of body to scale, and 6) the sense of disjunction and
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disorientation. Over the course of her career, I propose that Salcedo has focused on two principal
concerns: political violence, first in Colombia and now throughout the world; and materiality,
making materials speak on behalf of the victims through a complex, painstaking process using
increasingly ephemeral materials. I conclude that Salcedo’s project pushes materiality beyond
its expected parameters and that her recent work challenges the definition of sculpture and the
object, as well as the idea of the temporal, in an audacious expression born of her longstanding
vision and commitment to the victims of political violence.
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Acknowledgements
This dissertation was driven by my passion for Doris Salcedo’s sculpture but reached
completion through the support of numerous people to whom I owe enormous thanks. I took a
long road to reach this point, but absorbed the experience of living in Latin America, of teaching
and curating that strengthened my resolve to write my thesis about Doris and her specific project.
Harvard allowed me the opportunity to first meet and talk with Doris when she was a visiting
artist more than ten years ago, just after I returned from Mexico. That dialogue coupled with my
deep respect for her work convinced me to focus on her sculpture.
It was my advisor, Tom Cummins who sparked my decision to complete my doctorate
and write this dissertation and I am extremely grateful to him. Without his encouragement,
unwavering belief in my ability to write this thesis and understanding of the demands of my
personal and professional responsibilities, I would not have finished. Tom understood my keen
focus on Salcedo’s project and he championed my efforts with unfailing certainty. His support
was invaluable and his knowledge of Latin American culture, history, politics and art was
fundamental to my work.
Within the History of Art and Architecture Department I would also like to thank Henri
Zerner whose teachings began for me in college and I am grateful did not end there, but
continued with his insightful comments and warm encouragement on my thesis. Deanna
Dalyrmple has long supported and helped me over the many years I have pursued my doctorate
for which I am thankful.
I have had the pleasure of learning from Doris Sommer since the 1990’s on DRCLAS
projects and exhibitions relating to the arts and culture of Latin America. Her intelligence and
commitment inspire me and her support of my work on Doris Salcedo has proven invaluable.
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While writing my dissertation I have enjoyed serving as the Associate Curator of Modern
and Contemporary Art at the Harvard Art Museums and to Director, Tom Lentz, and Chief
Curator, Debi Kao, I owe enormous thanks. Tom and Debi hired me with the expectation that my
dissertation would soon reach completion. Their persistent support, encouragement and patience
during a period of intense activity within the museums, allowed me to finish. Moreover, their
unwavering belief in me and my dissertation fueled my efforts. Debi’s direction, support and
flexibility these last two years pushed and inspired me more than I can say.
A number of colleagues at the museums have encouraged me along the way including
Sarah Kianovsky, Lynette Roth, Laura Muir, Michael Dumas and Michelle Lamuniere and I
have greatly appreciated it. Jessica Ficken set an example, spurring me onward as she doggedly
finished her Master’s thesis while I toiled to complete my dissertation. Francesca Bewer and
Karen Gausch also provided frequent words and images of inspiration.
I am fortunate to have received support over many years from two esteemed colleagues at
the art museums, whose words of wisdom and belief in me have given me strength. Jerry Cohn
has taught me, prodded me and inspired me countless times over the last three decades. She
proved equally important to me during my dissertation process. Porter Mansfield has been a
source of encouragement and help over more years than I can count. Her unflagging optimism
and wise counsel I am grateful to have received, particularly over the final years of my doctorate.
In my surrounding world, my friends Sally Kemp Atkinson, Dottie Williams and Helen
Quigley have been behind me every step of the way encouraging me to keep going, regardless of
my doubts. Their support has made an enormous difference, as has their understanding of my
passion for Salcedo’s sculpture. Dottie’s help under heavy time constraints was especially
important to me and I cannot begin to thank her. Similarly, Eve Griffin’s long hours of
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assistance and her positive attitude, regardless of my frequent questions regarding technology,
made an enormous difference to me and I am extremely grateful.
This dissertation was written because Doris Salcedo’s sculpture and installations
provoke, move and disturb me on so many levels that I wanted to delve deeply into analyzing
and elucidating the nature and importance of her work. I cannot begin to express my gratitude to
Doris for sharing her thoughts, ideas, concerns and challenges with me, and for answering my
endless questions. The hours spent discussing the details of her process, the choice and qualities
of materials, the logistics, the successes and the failures behind each piece and above all, hearing
about the victims and survivors whose experiences she absorbed as her own, deeply informed my
thoughts. Learning from Doris about the times she shared with mothers searching for their lost
sons, witnessing their private pain and enduring loss, allowed me a perspective on her sculptures
that the written word, alone, could not provide. Doris is a private, deeply thoughtful individual
and I am eternally thankful that she allowed me “in” and shared perspectives that I have
absorbed into my life as a whole.
My correspondence with Doris and knowledge of her work was helped invaluably by
Carolyn Alexander whose commitment to the artist and her challenging projects began in the
early 1990’s, before Salcedo became an international figure. Carolyn’s support and assistance
with photographs, collections and numerous questions related to my research allowed me to
surmount the various challenges entailed in writing on a living artist and I am extremely grateful.
I cannot begin to express the depth of appreciation I owe my longtime mentor, Dean
Margot Gill. This thesis evolved, grew and came to conclusion due to the unflagging certainty
and commitment Margot demonstrated to me over the last seventeen months. Despite her
overwhelmingly full calendar, we met weekly to discuss and review my writing. Her intellectual
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curiosity, her delight in learning, her commitment to students and the substance of graduate
work, combined with her absolute certainty that I would write this thesis on Salcedo, inspired
and propelled me forward. Margot is a singular academic figure at Harvard, one whose
leadership, intelligence and humanity I was extremely fortunate to benefit from these last
months, in particular. She made this challenging process one in which the excitement of the ideas
I sought to express in my dissertation and the sheer joy of learning continued through to the end.
To my family I owe my utmost appreciation for their endless patience and boundless
encouragement over the exceedingly long journey they have shared with me. Long ago my
mother and father gave me the gift of encouraging me to pursue my passion for art history,
believing I could accomplish this doctorate. Never did they question the long path I took or the
choices I made. Although my mother and I often discussed art and did not always agree about
who and what deserved acclaim, she and my Father believed in my ideas and my devotion to the
work. It saddens me that my Mother is no longer alive to see me complete this dissertation; her
tough questions and commitment to her ideals have greatly influenced my perspective
throughout this process. To my Father, whose unwavering love and support has given me
strength since childhood, I owe boundless appreciation. Without his certainty that I could and
would write this dissertation I could not have reached this point. Always asking without
pressuring, he nurtured my commitment and allowed me to do so without question. In the same
way, my brothers Tom and John have been certain about my work and have pushed me to
complete my dissertation, never skeptical and always curious about my ideas and Salcedo’s
sculpture. Their enthusiasm for my topic and my work has sustained me over these many years.
Within my husband’s family, Muffie Cabot has similarly championed my research and writing,
encouraging me to do what she knew I had in me, for which I am extremely grateful.
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It is to Juan, Diana and Nico I wish to express my greatest thanks. Diana and Nico have
grown up living with my deep commitment to Doris Salcedo’s work, discussing and questioning
her ideas and the nature of her sculpture. They have prodded me, waited for me, carved out
space for me to think, to write and to pursue my dream. I am enormously grateful for their
continuous encouragement and understanding on this long road. Their support and pride in my
work fueled my efforts beyond words. I hope that they will find in my journey an example,
despite the years it took to reach this end. Finally, to Juan I owe a depth of gratitude impossible
to measure. His enduring patience, his belief in me, my ideas and my ability to write and reflect
during this drawn out process made this dissertation possible. Never did he question me or my
commitment, rather, he made every effort to support and foster my work so that I would achieve
what he knew I could. His attitude, his concern and his willingness to listen, read, encourage and
stand by me, while balancing his own countless projects and responsibilities, helped me finish
this thesis and I am extremely grateful.

West Newton, MA
January 11, 2014

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